Thanks to all who enthusiastically embraced the pre-release sale of the Joy of Bocce 3rd edition. I'll ship as soon as the shipment arrives on my doorstep. I've run the special once again this week. You can save a couple bucks off the list price and own one of the first copies off the press. See "Bocce product of the week" below.

Also, I'm "playing around" on eBay for the "Non-bocce product of the week." I have come into a great many items - art work, collectibles, costume jewelry, and all sorts of curios. I'll give eBay a whirl and see what transpires. Check out the eBay product of the week. There will be so many different items that something is bound to interest you.

Bocce News Part II - July 2010 from Dave Canclini (also includes some great travel guide info)...

Oregon Bocce Adventure

Last weekend, Vern and Sharon Cooper and my wife Judy and I traveled up to Gresham Oregon to participate in the Annual Rossi Bocce Tournament at the Paesano Club in Cedarville Park. Because we had such a great time last year and met so many wonderful people, we just had to go back. Although the open rules and the courts are a little different than those in Northern California, the two California teams that participated finished in the top three. Girls Rule, made up of Toni Nicholas, Bev Wright, Ginny Nelson, and Maureen Kelleher was the last undefeated team going into the final games and placed second to a strong Washington team made up of Patrick Henry, Amanda Henry, Greg Singleton, and Domenic Coletto.

The Paesano Club has six courts in a park setting with giant trees shading them for most of the day. These outdoor courts are groomed by Larry Cereghino and are unbelievable! This is because he spends hours and hours each week sifting toping, grading, watering, sweeping, rolling, etc. These are the flattest and fastest natural courts I have ever seen! Anyone that might be in the Portland area must make an effort to see these courts for themselves.

On trips to California, Larry has been exposed to the international bocce game, Punto, Raffa, Volo. It is a more skilled game than open rules and each ball played must be marked and balls can be removed from play when rule violations occur. Larry would like to extend some of the courts at the Paesano Club to promote the play of "Raffa", as it is also called and ultimately have the courts covered for all year round play. This would be the only facility of its kind in the area, and Larry is determined to fulfill this dream.

There is more to do in the Portland-Gresham area than play bocce. A short drive up Highway 84 will take you to the Multnomah Falls. These falls are the second highest year round waterfalls in the United States at 620 feet! Over two million people each year visit these falls. A little further along, prehistoric sturgeon can be seen at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery, including Herman the Sturgeon! He is a 70 year old, 10 foot long, 450 pound sturgeon that you can get eyeball-to-eyeball with in the viewing room.

Next is the Bridge of the Gods. It was built in 1926 and is the third oldest bridge over the Columbia River. Crossing the river here will take you into Washington and by heading west you can stop at the Bonneville Lock and Dam. The main purpose of this dam is to generate electric power and assist with river navigation. Going inside, you can view the generators and fish ladder.

On the way back down south, head over to Mount Hood and watch the skiing and snow boarders. What a treat during these hot summer months!

August 14th Western Sector Open, IACC, South City. Contact Geri Del Carlo 650 359-2310. The Championship team will receive Western Sector jackets for all players, their names will be engraved on the perpetual trophy, and they will have bragging rights for a year.

July 27th Summer Raffa League at the Italian Athletic Club in Stockton. The organizational meeting and pre league sign ups will be held on July 20th at 6:30 p.m. The first round of play will begin on Tuesday, July 27th at 6:30 p. m. If interested in joining the Summer
League, contact David Canclini at (209) 957-3314 or davidcanclini@att.net .

Peter Di Turi of Puget Sound Bocce continues his good work, getting the word out on happenings with our game…

Hello YET AGAIN, Puget Sound Bocce players and fans of the great game!

I’m continuing to receive reports from many of you on timely bocce related events! It isn’t fair to hold them back from you, so here’s a few items that just came in today! First, Club Paesano’s Larry Cereghino reports on the WA-OR Shootout Team Match held down in Gresham, OR:

'On July 10th, the 2nd annual Oregon vs. Washington shootout took place at Club Paesano Cedarville Park. This Ryder Cup Style tournament has some of the best players from Oregon against some of the best from Washington. 20 players from both sides took part in this year’s tournament.

From the onset, it appeared Oregon was ready to claim the trophy. Going 5 and 5 in the doubles and winning the first 5 singles matches, Oregon was ready to avenge last year’s loss. However, Washington was just getting warmed up.

As one knows in Bocce, 'it’s never over till it’s over', Washington’s over all skill came roaring back to win the next 10 games and leaving the Oregon squad down 17 to 13 with 5 team matches left.

Oregon, needing to win all 5 of the matches, was only able to win 3 of them giving the Washington players their 2nd straight win, 19 to 16.

Discussions are now in the works to include California in this day-long event. We’ll keep you posted."

Thanks again for the great words, Larry! A tri-state West Coast competition would be a great publicity boost to the game! Congratulations to Washington state for bringing the title again north of the Columbia! Next on the news blog is Westside Italian Club’s Greg Singleton’s brief commentary on the Rossi tournament, as a member of the winning team from Washington state:

“I know myself and the rest of the players on the Westside team really enjoyed the Rossi tournament. Having a couple of quality California teams to compete against was great and we’re looking forward to the Portland Festa tournament late August.”

I’m looking forward to this event, too, Greg! I’ll provide more information about it in just a few lines. But late-breaking news comes from the Auburn Bocce Club’s Robert Glaze, member of the winning team in the 7th Annual Washington State Bocce Championships last month. Bob is also a member of the Puget Sound Croquet Club, which has made him – and YOU – a great offer! Check it out:

"We finally found a place to play on the Eastside (of Lake Washington)! The Puget Sound Croquet Club is opening up their lawns to bocce play. The surface is similar to Woodland Park and would use the ‘Backyard court’ without sides that Woodland Park uses. They are motivated to encourage bocce players to come out. They have a small club house with tables, BBQ, fridge, etc. It is on private property and in a beautiful quiet area of Kirkland. Their Web site is http://www.pugetsoundcroquet.com . We are going to set up some ‘open play’ nights on Friday and possibly some Sundays. It would be great if…we can increase the number of bocce players from the Eastside."

Bob, we can help you out! Let’s tell our friends east of Lake Washington, northeast King County and southeast Snohomish County that great bocce play is now within their reach in Kirkland! Bob’s e-mail is rvglaze@comcast.net to set up a time to meet with him on these “open play” nights and Sundays!

Now that I’m back at my home computer, I’m now able to attach registration forms for many of the August tournaments, such as:

The Pioneer Square Singles Tournament, to be held Monday-Thursday, August 2-5 at Seattle's Occidental Park. There's a limit of 16 players to play in this 4-session lunchtime, 10-frame format. So far, 9 players have signed up. If you're interested and available that whole week, please follow up with me (pdituri@comcast.net). (closed-court, oyster-shell, 1-player)

Next on Saturday, August 14 is the Fircrest Fun Days competition on the grass lawns of Whittier Park, starting at 10 am! Tony Riconosciuto (tonynfranr@yahoo.com) is in charge of this fun and festive TWO-PLAYER team event under the pine trees and amid the celebration! (open-court, grass, 2-player)

The next day (Sunday, August 15), the Italian Community Picnic will be held at Royal Arch Park in Maple Valley, starting at 10 am. An informal bocce tournament will be part of the activities, and there is a charge to attend the picnic. See the Italian Club of Seattle Web site for more details. (open-court, grass, players TBD)

On Saturday, August 21, the Auburn Bocce Club will be holding its annual closed members-only tournament, 9 am start time, at Auburn's Les Gove Park. Club members should contact Sal Cascone (ragusani@msn.com) if you plan to attend the event. (closed-court, oyster shell, 1, 2 and 4-players)

The following day (Sunday, August 22), the Festa Italiana Portland Bocce Tournament will begin at 9 am at Cedarville Park in Gresham, OR. If you're interested to play in a great environment for bocce (maybe spend the weekend in Portland?), contact Larry Cereghino (lorenzodifavale@msn.com). (closed-court, oyster shell, 4-player)

To complete August’s Saturday stampede of bocce action, on August 28 the Christopher Columbus Society will host a tournament at Tacoma's Wright Park. Start time is 9 am! Frank Tomanelli is the director and now has a NEW e-mail address (the12pick@comcast.net), so please make sure you contact Frank at his new cyber-address for more info! (open-court, lawn-bowl grass, 4-player)

The Puget Sound Bocce Web channel is scheduled to broadcast the draw for the Pioneer Square tournament as well as late-round coverage of the Woodland Park, Festa Italiana Portland and Christopher Columbus Society events. More info will come in the future to verify these Webcasts.

Okay, enough blog - it’s time to practice! Buon gioco a tutti, and I’ll see you on the courts!

"First, let me express my sincere thanks to you for your efforts in producing such an enjoyable publication devoted to one of my favorite games! I look forward to each edition of 'The Joy of Bocce'. I especially enjoy all of the reader comments and pictures!

I have with my home-built court and I'm hoping that you or your knowledgeable readers can help me with a challenging situation. I live just outside of Philadelphia, PA, and I have a 70' x 13' court, with a Har-Tru playing surface. Our bocce gang really enjoys the court during the warm-weather months, but the court gets very little playing time during the winter months. I don't have any type of cover for the court, so when we're ready to startup again in the spring, I usually have quite a mess to clean up before we can begin play. So, I'd like to ask if folks in similar climate areas typically cover their courts, and if so, what type of cover options would they suggest?"

{Some people put tarps over their court in the off-season, others don't. I leave mine exposed to the elements in the winter and don't have much trouble getting it into playing shape in the spring. Click here for a look at an interesting court cover system.

"This is what you have been waiting for 'The Best Tournament Ever.' Big bucks are to be awarded depending on the amount of teams. 24 teams should pay around $800 to first, if all goes good. This will be played on grass with no side boards. The more teams the more money that will be paid in prizes. Sign up early to make sure you don't miss the fun."

"I am looking for information on the requirements for constructing Bocce courts that will fulfill ADA requirements. Could you direct me to people who have done this? We are making 4 bocce courts (91' x 13') and we want them to be accessible for wheelchairs. I hope to have pictures and information for one of your newsletters in the near future. Thanks for your help."

{I asked for more info...and Kevin replied...}

"I am located in Madison, Wisconsin which is part of Dane County. I am President of Four Lakes Bocce Association. The making of the courts is a combined effort of the Village of McFarland, the McFarland Senior Outreach Center and FLBA. We are also getting support from the Italian Workmens Club of Madison."

I haven't got a lot of images but the ones I have attached all have different court designs so perhaps something will spark an idea that is relevant to your situation. Note that I have included examples of accesses ramping up to a raised court; ramping in level; and ramping down. I would love to have any pictures people have of accesses they have seen so I can build a page to address this issue on the Boccemon website. Mario might even want to include some in the 4th edition in a few years. Hope this is helpful."

Join us for the 19th Festa Italiana August 26-28 in beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon. The “Piazza” at Pioneer Courthouse Square will have non-stop Entertainment, Dancing, Wine Garden and Great Food from some of the top Italian Restaurants in Portland. Children love our pizza toss, grape stomp and marionettes. Help us celebrate Italian-American culture in Portland, Oregon. This event is for the entire family. See http://www.festa-italiana.org for more information and Entertainment Schedule.

We should all be card carrying members. Every club should be affiliated. For the sport to gain the attention it needs we need to boast of many thousands of members. Download a USBF Membership Application here:

This week's photos were submitted by Richard J. Curreri, Secretary/Treasurer of the Southwest Florida Bocce League.

He offered condolences about the problems I've had to deal with getting the third edition of The Joy of Bocce into print. He adds...

"I have attached, and you have my permission to use any or all of the pictures from the Southwest Florida Bocce League. I'd also like to make a comment about George Farruggio's comment on concrete courts in your June 21, 2010 issue of 'The Joy of Bocce Weekly'.

Our league consists of mostly Har-Tru HydroCourts or HydroGrid Courts. They drain fast after heavy rain storms and need minimum maintenance. We brush them before and during games, if need be. They are built level and the balls roll true.

We do have a few concrete courts in our league and we have found they have to be built with a pitch to allow water to run off. The substrate is a rubber composite and the balls do bounce when they first hit the surface. When the balls slow down you are at the mercy of the court and they will roll left or right. For these reasons the majority of the league members do not like concrete courts. The SWFBL recommends Har-Tru clay courts."

{Thanks to Richard for the great photos, which show off 14 great looking courts used by the SWFBL. If you want to join the SWFBL, contact him at rjcurreri@comcast.net .}

I expect to have the new edition in hand by August 1st. It should be in bookstores shortly after that. To celebrate, I've decided to run a pre-release sale just for Joy of Bocce ezine subscribers.

I hope to ship ON OR BEFORE August 1st and will send the books out as soon as they are in my possession.

The new edition will retail for $18.45 which is actually a dollar less than the 2nd edition. Don't look for lots of new text in this new edition. What I've attempted to do is tighten it and replace all the low resolution photos with high res ones, making the book much more accessible to the masses. The new book is comprehensive like the previous editions, but better suited for the mass market, not just bocce fanatics.

The new cover is eye-catching, the photos are pretty spectacular, and I feel great about the potential this edition will have on the growth of the game. I'm really proud of it and I think you will really enjoy it.

Pre-release sale price = $15.00 plus shipping. Up to 3 copies will ship for a total of $6.00.

For a large quantity of copies for resale, send me an email inquiry and I'll make you "such a deal." Email Mario@JoyofBocce.com .

Click below for this special promotion just for Joy of Bocce Weekly subscribers.

I've come into possession of a great many collectible items - a long story. I have all manner of items including costume jewelry, art work, and all kind of curios. So, I thought I'd give eBay a whirl. What the heck, I don't have much else going on.

Collectible:

Twenty small photos from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair...auction ends July 26, 2010.

Please - anyone running a tournament - do me a favor - put a notice near your tourney bracket board informing players that they can go to http://www.joyofbocce.com and "opt in" for my FREE Ezine on bocce. Click the logo to the right to opt in if you do not already receive this ezine every Monday.

Please consider designating someone as "official event photographer" and directing that person to send snapshots for us to reproduce as photos of the week. Our readers love seeing bocce action from around the continent.

August 20 - 22, 2010 - Ohio - Mayfield Heights. Club Molisani & the City of Mayfield Heights will host the MARSHALL SUPERSTORE CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE CUP OF BOCCE. Our growth continues with 53, 72, and 81 teams over the past three years. $150 entry fee. Pays 12 places with $4500 for first place (all guaranteed). 1st place awards for Women's Division, which pays four places with $1000 for first place (based on 16 teams). Four person teams - double elimination. The city is building a permanent pavilion over the original courts by the end of June. Contact Wayne Farinacci @ 216-509-4353 or mrnach23@sbcglobal.net.

Check out the first-rate equipment we offer. The finest measuring devices for bocce (made in UK by Prohawk for lawn bowling, petanque, and bocce) - the finest bocce balls in the world (made in Italy by Perfetta) and the number one selling instructional book on bocce in America - Check them out.Check out the merchandise